Teaching Ideas and Case Studies

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The Learning Skills system consists of over 1000 work cards covering nearly every identifiable reading skill.  The Reading Skills Development and Review programs are intended as supplements to other reading materials.  As such, they are highly adaptable to any primary reading series, including yours.  Following are some ideas that have actually worked for teachers in the real world.  If you have any comments, we would be happy to hear from you by letter, phone, fax or email. Click on a topic below or return to the Learning Skills [Home Page].

First Grade Phonics in Idaho
Special Education Classes in California

First Grade Phonics in Idaho

We begin the year in September by learning a letter a day. Each student is assigned a letter and is responsible for bringing a paper sack decorated with items that start with that letter. Classmates try to guess the letter by figuring out which letter symbol represents the initial sounds of the items on the bag. Then the student gives three clues concerning the secret item inside the bag. Classmates have to guess what is inside the bag that correlates with the clues and starts with the letter of the day.

 After all the excitement, I pull out the Learning Skills cards that go with the letter of the day. To strengthen phonemic awareness, first we focus on the sound not the symbol or the letter. I ask the children to listen to the sound they hear at the beginning of the words on the back of the cards. Then we isolate and repeat the sound. I read some of the words on the back of the cards and the children give me a signal for yes if they hear the letter sound or a signal for no if they do not. Next, we move to identifying and writing the symbol. I write the letter on my white board and the children learn a chant which helps them remember the strokes of the letter. I write several examples, some of which are wrong, and the children correct me as if they were the teachers. We write the letters in the air, on each others backs, and on the carpet with our fingers so that we integrate a multisensory approach. Next, we practice writing the letters on white boards or in our hand writing books. Later in the day, we have closure by completing a worksheet made by coping the backs of the Learning Skills Phonics cards.

As the phonograms get more difficult, we slow down. We do a lot of work contrasting the different sounds phonograms can make. For instance, the phonogram "ow" can say "ow" as in plow or as in snow. After going over the Learning Skills cards and introducing the two different sounds "ow" can make, I read a book to the children called Katy and the Snow Plow. The children listen throughout the story for examples of the two sounds. I put a portion of the story on sentence strips using a pocket chart. I pull out a big cardboard pretend looking glass and I call up volunteers to find examples of "ow" from the story. We make a list of the words on the white board under the categories into which they fit. Again, we finish by having the students do a worksheet made from the backs of the Learning Skills cards. Spelling words for the week will come from these worksheets, reinforcing the phonograms.

To practice reading phonograms, I use decodable text stories from Bonnie Klein. These are reproducible, take-home stories which focus on particular phonograms. I have found several other readers, such as Ready Set Read, which can give the children additional practice with phonograms in text. Finally, I keep a set of the Learning Skills cards on a large ring which can be shown to students for a quick daily drill of the sounds of the past weeks

Special Education Classes in California

I am a Special Education teacher in the Resource Program at the elementary school level. In this program, children are pulled from their general education classroom for up to three hours of  prescriptive teaching each day. Students are taught reading and language arts and/or math according to their individual needs.  These needs are derived in part from performance on such tests as the Woodcock - Johnson and Ann Arbor Learning Skills Inventory.  This information is utilized to develop the specific goals and objectives for the student's IEP (Individualized Educational Program).  

Ideally, students are grouped according to their general abilities and the schedule arranged so that small groups can be taught using the same materials. For beginning reading, I use a phonics based instructional curriculum.  The Phonics Practice Readers Series of Modern Curriculum Press are excellent in this category.  As reinforcement, I use the appropriate Learning Skills Phonics cards. Some Learning Skills cards are worked in class and others are copied and assigned as homework. In addition, I may target specific phonics skills for an individual student that is struggling to master a particular concept.  Or, I may use the program to fill in other areas of reading including word structure or comprehension.  

One of  the most important jobs that I have as a Resource Specialist is not just teaching the student but reaching the child.  I must gain her confidence and find the best way of addressing her individual need . Sometimes only a few weeks will make a significant difference.  This is certainly true when, as a teacher, I am able to gear an educational program that gives a student immediate feedback and rapid success.  There is nothing like success to restore enthusiasm and breed more success.  Of course, sometimes it takes longer and is more of a challenge. The following stories are about real children although the names have been changed for privacy.

When Jane came to our program, she was unable to work independently or even stay seated in her chair. She lacked the vocabulary and conversational skills appropriate for her age and had a history of  both physical and sexual abuse. She was immature and insecure, displayed temper tantrums and resorted to running from the classroom when frustrated. My plan of action included well defined boundaries, logical consequences for misbehavior and a secure, supportive environment. Working from her interest in arts and crafts, I began a modified Herman Phonics program supported by Learning Skills Phonics cards. In the beginning, Jane was unable to recall even the single letter A at the end of a class period. Utilizing all forms of art media, I began to teach her the letters of the alphabet. While she painted, formed and cut letters, I constantly reinforced letter shapes, sounds and words. As Jane relaxed through her art, she was able to learn. As she became secure in a nurturing and consistent environment, she was able to retain what she learned. By the end of six months, Jane was able to read on a basic level and was beginning to articulate and converse normally.

At the opposite extreme, consider Jim, quite a different student. He was bright but had severe attention deficits and was usually bored by school. He was argumentative, willful and manipulative. For example, when assigned the task of writing a Halloween story, Jim chose to write a poem using only the word "who". This he wrote in every way possible to fill an entire page. It was a real challenge to find the keys to unlock his potential.  However, his fascination with sea creatures provided a clue. I obtained easy to read non-fictional materials about seahorses, sharks, stingrays, octopus and lobster.  These books were used as incentives. When I noted a reading weakness, I would hand Jim the necessary Learning Skills Word Structure or Comprehension card and let him work independently. With his interest restored and his positive behavior reinforced, Jim has achieved huge leaps in both his reading and writing abilities.